Secret behind the composition of the varnish on stradivari violins revealed violin antonio stradivari is the most famous instrument maker of all time. Automatic identification of varnish wear on historical. Giacomo did in fact copy the recipe out of one of antonio stradivaris notebooks. Scientific analysis of his finishing technique on selected instruments this outstanding project was realised by brigitte brandmair and peterstefan greiner. The larger divisions of the book concern the ancestry of stradivari. Family of violin makers there are no records of antonio stradivari s birth, but based on the documentation of his age that accompanied his signature on some of the instruments he created late in his life, it is assumed that he was born in 1644. Antonio stradivari 1694 maria ex muir mackenzie stradivaris so called long pattern violins first ap peared in 1690 and, with some few exceptions, he continued to make them until the end of the century. His life and work dover books on music kindle edition by hill, w. Oct, 2000 why are violins made by antonio stradivari, the 18thcentury instrument maker, so dramatically better than anything built since. Antonio stradivari, his life and work dover books on. Leading appraisers of fine musical instruments agree that in the art of making violins, no one has ever gone beyond the. Stewart pollenss new book, stradivari, gets at that question through a. Antonio stradivari, his life and work dover books on music. Antonio stradivari, his life and work dover books on music the.
Antonio stradivari was born in cremona, italy, where the violinmaking tradition was already more than 100 years old when he was born. Scanning a stradivarius at the smithsonian smithsonian. Nagyvary, who also makes violins, violas and cellos, believes the chemists were closest to the truth. Under the quaint language is the information that subsequent scholars have used as the basis of their understanding of stradivaris work and stolen for the basis of many of their own articles and books, and almost everything written in the book is still considered accuratean unprecedented event in violin publishing, where theres much more. Leading appraisers of fine musical instruments agree that in the art of making violins, no one has ever gone beyond the achievement of antonio stradivari. The violin forms of antonio stradivari 1992 contains lifesize photographs of all of the extant wood forms and patterns used by stradivari in the construction of his violins, violas, and cellos, and includes an analysis of their geometry.
Under the quaint language is the information that subsequent scholars have used as the basis of their understanding of stradivari s work and stolen for the basis of many of their own articles and books, and almost everything written in the book is still considered accuratean unprecedented event in violin publishing, where theres much more. Secret behind the composition of the varnish on stradivari. In his early years stradivari probably worked more on such plucked instruments as harps, guitars, and lutes. According to this study the secret of antonio stradivaris varnish was uncovered. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Capolavori di antonio stradivari, charles beare, charles beare, capolavori di antonio stradivari, milan. May 21, 2018 the violins made by the italian masters andrea amati and antonio stradivari are celebrated as the finest ever made, but the secret behind their perfect sound has mystified experts for centuries. Anyone who read hills biography of stradivari has heard of a secret family varnish recipe claimed to be copied by one of his descendent giacomo stradivari from a family bible, supposedly dated 1704. Thanks to fabers book, i think i know to whom it was going and where it had. The local lumberman just happened to supply him with the ideal wood, and the local apothecary with the perfect varnish. He says it is the varnish, together with the specially treated spruce, that makes cremonese violins great. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
The latinized form of his surname, stradivarius, as well as the colloquial strad are terms often used to refer to his instruments. Sold christies new york, sale 1982, 4 april 2008 for one point three million dollars. A search for the secrets of craftsmanship, sound, and stradivari ebook written by john marchese. Several studies performed on the varnishes of violins made by the greater violin maker antonio stradivari indicated the presence of linseed oil. Dec 04, 2009 secret behind the composition of the varnish on stradivari violins revealed violin antonio stradivari is the most famous instrument maker of all time. Genesis of the stradivari books this is genesis of the stradivari books by on vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. It covers construction methods, woods, varnishes, types of instruments, and special features as well as the life of the composer. We would like to invite you to take advantage of our.
This is the definitive work on stradivarius and one of the great musicology books. Aug 30, 2015 many of the investigations after stradivari tend to focus on the lost varnish recipe, and regard this to the key to the whole magical mystery. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. In the opinion of many informed listeners, this is the greatest sounding stradivari of them all. Stradivari was a marvelous craftsman, nagyvary observes, but the magnificent sound of his instruments is a lucky accident. Chemists have cooked up recipes for the varnish that coats a violins raw maple. The violins made by the italian masters andrea amati and antonio stradivari are celebrated as the finest ever made, but the secret behind their.
Scientific analysis of his finishing technique on selected. Antonio stradivari school of violin making high school. Antonio stradivari, violin, cremona, 1714, the soil tarisio. These at first followed the smaller of amatis models, solidly. His life and work dover books on music and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Scientists find secret behind sweet sound of stradivarius. New investigation results about the most famous antonio stradivari violin available in a new publication edited by the museo del violino of cremona. Leading appraisers of fine musical instruments agree that in the.
Oct 23, 2011 open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Confira tambem os ebooks mais vendidos, lancamentos e livros digitais exclusivos. Jul 01, 2000 and neither had much to do with stradivari himself. At the time early 1800s the only thing that was seen as important was stradivaris varnish, so the young giacomo did what he thought was the right thing. Antonio stradivari lived and worked in cremona, italy from 1644 until during his long life he made more than violins of which something over half are known to be still in existence. Many of the investigations after stradivari tend to focus on the lost varnish recipe, and regard this to the key to the whole magical mystery. Musical instruments of the violin family and the geometry and positioning of cutting out their fshaped sound holes. Antonio stradivari students britannica kids homework help. The varnished truth about a stradivarius books the. Stradivarius violins are reknown for their beauty and powerful voices.
As in the guarneri book, this book has many nice color photos and blackwhite photos. Why are violins made by antonio stradivari, the 18thcentury instrument maker, so dramatically better than anything built since. It was greatly supported by violin dealers and experts, directors and curators of various instrument collections, private instrument owners as well as participating. Stradivari was still a pupil of nicolo amati in 1666 when he began to place his own label on violins of his making. Recent publications by stewart pollens bartolomeo cristofori and the invention of the piano this is the first comprehensive study of the life and work of bartolomeo cristofori, the paduanborn harpsichord maker and contemporary of antonio stradivari, who is credited with having invented the pianoforte around the year 1700 while working in the medici court in florence. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the violin maker. Stradivari did not keep detailed records of his technique and methods, and.
The exhibition book clearly shows this, even if the colours reproduced by the. This book traces antonio stradivari s life, that of his children, and more importantly, the journeys made by 5 violins and 1 cello made by him. Learn violinmaking with dmitry badiarov violino, palavras. It spent decades in the possession of an italian family, which means it remains in an excellent state of preservation the varnish is virtually unblemished and its sound quality is excellent. In the field of cultural heritage, uvinduced fluorescence uvifl photography is extensively applied to the study of artworks. It may be the wood, the glue or the shape but experts have long suspected that the real secret of the cherished stradivarius violins special sound lay in its gleaming varnish. Most reports and publications tell about an almost alchemistic potion that will transform a cheap, lowquality violin into a milliondollar instrument. Antonio stradivari cecil violin 1724 poster the strad shop. If so, then a violin made by antonio stradivari is the prima donna assoluta.
The incomparable visual beauty of his instruments and the infinite variety and magnificence of tone of which they are capable have by this. From 1698 to 1725 stradivari produced his finest instruments and carried his manufacture to the highest possible finish, the outlines are designed with taste and purity, the wood is rich and carefully selected, the arching falls off in gentle and regular curves, the scroll is carved with great perfection, and the varnish is. The research results of brandmair and greiner are presented in this book in the articles the buildup of layers in stradivaris varnish by stefanpeter greiner 41 pages and foundations of classical cremonese violin varnishes by brigitte brandmair 91 pages. Stradivari was a marvelous craftsman, nagyvary observes, but the magnificent sound of. In a finding that is sure to add to one of the longestrunning debates in music, a detailed analysis of the varnish on five instruments made by antonio stradivari reveals that he coated the wood. Antonio stradivari biography life, family, children, death. Antonio stradivari, italian violin maker who brought the craft of violinmaking to its highest pitch of perfection. Why are violins made by antonio stradivari, the 18thcentury. Family of violin makers there are no records of antonio stradivaris birth, but based on the documentation of his age that accompanied his signature on some of the instruments he created late in his life, it is assumed that he was born in 1644. The varnished truth about a stradivarius books the guardian. A search for the secrets of craftsmanship, sound, and stradivari. Antonio stradivari a violin, known as the penny, cremona, circa 1700, labeled antonius stradivarius cremonensis facibat anno, length of back 78 in.
L ast april, i got into a taxi in cremona, the italian city that is the world center of liuteria violin making. Antonio stradivari italian violin maker britannica. And neither had much to do with stradivari himself. Table of contents the life of a masterpiece charles beare a controversial history and a research opportunity renato meucci stradivariss concept carlo chiesa john dilworth. This book traces antonio stradivaris life, that of his children, and more importantly, the. The research results of brandmair and greiner are presented in this book in the articles the buildup of layers in stradivari s varnish by stefanpeter greiner 41 pages and foundations of classical cremonese violin varnishes by brigitte brandmair 91 pages.
Museum oxford 1666 antonio stradivari back ram london 1672 antonio stradivari. The incomparable visual beauty of his instruments and the infinite variety and magnificence of tone of which they are capable have by this time passed into the realm of legend. The discussion about material, construction, and varnish are all very. In the car with me was the most distinguished of traveling. Dec 04, 2009 in a finding that is sure to add to one of the longestrunning debates in music, a detailed analysis of the varnish on five instruments made by antonio stradivari reveals that he coated the wood. The nature of the extraordinary finish of stradivaris instruments. From their estimated minimum total of 52 long vio lins, the hill brothers cite eight fine examples.
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